Hoisting mechanism



R. J. HARRY AND C. S. PROUDFOOT.

. HOISTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6. 1919.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

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HDISTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 6. 1.919.

1,370,644, Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

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l I N I R. J. HARRY AND CJS. PROUDFO OT.

HOISTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6. 19:9.

1,370,644, Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

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ROBERT J. Hummer HOMESTEAD, AND cnannns s. rnonnroor, or .ronnsr'own PENNSYLVANIA.- j

HOISTING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

Application filed November 6, 1919. Serial No. 335,996.

Be it known that we,Roenn'r J. HARRY and CHARLES S. Pnounroo'r, citizens of the United States, and residents of Homestead,

Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and Johnstown, Cambria county, ,Pen'nsylvania, re-

spectively,,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hoisting Mechanism, of which the following is a specification. r

,Our'invention relates to improved mechanism which is particularly adapted for use in raising and lowering blast furnace bells or doors on open-hearth furnaces and for effecting the movement of similar devices e such as are used in smelters and steel mills.

The objects and advantages of our im proved apparatus will be apparent to those.

skilled in the art from the following description and claims when read n connection with the accompanying drawlngs.

' Figure 1 is a plan view of the hoisting mechanism with parts shown in section in the interest of clearness;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the. apparatus shown in Fig. 1, parts being shown in section; 1 I I Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing a typical installation of our apparatus as arranged fortopening and closing the charging bells of a blast furnace;

Fig. 4 is ,a view illustrating an openhearth furnace. the doorof which is adapteach endwith annular ribs 13which enter ed to be raised by a-cable operated by our improved hoisting apparatus.

In the drawings 1 represents a bed plate on which a suitable driving.motor 2 is mounted, the armature shaft 3 of which is connected by means of a flexible coupling 4 with. a stub shaft ,5 mounted in suitable bearingsfi carried by the gear housing/7. The stub shaft 5 carries a brake drum 8 and a driving pinion 9. Meshing. with the driving pinion 9 is a spur-gear 10 which is keyed 4,5 l

,which is threaded on a traveling screw 12.,

or. otherwise secured to a bronze nut 11,

The nutll is elongated and is provided near mating grooves 14 in the thrust collars 15 which are seated in the gear housing 7. The gear housing-7 is formed with an oil sump 16 as shown in Fig. 2 which is normally filled with a suitable lubricant so as to reduce: the friction in operation of the hoist.

The upper half of the gear housing 7 is in traveling screw 12.

, hereinafter referred to. Ahoisting cable 24 is connected to aneye 23 formed on the end of the cross-head by means of a pin 25 pass- 111g through said eye and a shackle 26 secured to, the end of the cable. A sheave 27 carried by a pin 28 supported in bearings 29 formed integrally. with the bed plate 1, serves to guide the cable 24 so as to keep it approximately in line with the center of the A controller 30 secured to a bracket 31 formed on the bed serves to govern the operation of the driving motor 2 and an operating arm 32 secured to the shaft 33 of the controller is actuated'by a shifter rod 34 which is slidably mounted in bearings'35 secured to arms extendingfrom the guide 21. The shifter rod 3 1 carries adjustable collars 34 and 34* as shown in Fig. 1,said Y shifter rod being connected to the controller arm 32 by links 36. r

In operation the motor 2 acting through gears 9 and 10 revolves the nut 11 which causes the screw12 to be moved longitudinally either forward or backward according to the direction of rotation of the driving motor. The motor may be controlled by any suitable form of'starting and reversing switch, but for operating blast furnace bells it is preferable to employ automatic means for reversingthe motor atregular intervals and to these ends we have provided the shifter rod which will actuate thecontroller and thereby reverse the direction of rotation of the motor at the end of each stroke of the lead screw 12. It is clear that as the lead screw 12 approaches the limit of its forward stroke the striker arm 22 will engage the collar 34? and cause the shifter rod to move the controllerarm 32 toward the left which will reverse the motor. On the backward stroke the arm 22 will similarly engage the collar 34? and move the controller rod 32 in theopposite direction and again effect a reversal of the motor 2. This action Will keep up continuouslyas long as the main switch for supplying current to the motor through the controller is in closed position, This action will cause the bell 40 ot the blast furnace 41 to be periodically raised and lowered, thus intermittently feeding the charge from the hopper 42 to the furnace. It is clear that the extent of travel of the lead screw can be varied by adjusting the position of the collars on the shifter rod 34, thereby making it possible to vary the rate of discharge of the contents of the hopper 42.

While our improvedapparatus is designed particularly for moving the bells of blast furnaces, it is clear that it is within the scope of the invention to use. it for other purposes, for example. for raising the door 50 of an open-hearth furnace as illustrated in Fig. 4.

As changes in arrangement and details of construction may be varied by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention it is intended that the matter as shown in the drawings and set forth in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What we claim is:

1. The combination with a blast furnace charging hopper, of a hopper closing bell, a flexible member connected to the bell for actuating said bell, a reciprocating member connected to said flexible member, a reversible motor and gearing for driving said reciprocating member, means for reversing said motor, and means operated by said reciprocating member for actuating said re-- versing means.

2. The combination with a blast furnace charging hopper, of a hopper closing bell, a flexible member connected to the bell for actuating said bell. a reciprocating member connected to said flexible member. a rotary motor and gearing for driving said reciprocating member, means for reversing the direction of rotation of said motor, and means operated by said reciprocating member for actuating said reversing means.

3. The combination with a blast furnace charging hopper, of a hopper closing bell, a flexible member connected to the bell for "actuating said bell. a reciprocating member connected to said flexible member. a rotary motor and gearing for driving said reciprocating member, means for reversing the d1- rectlon of rotation of said motor, and means operated by said reciprocating member for actuating said reversing means, said last named means being adjustable to vary the of stroke of said reciprocating driving said reciprocating member, a controller for reversing said motor, a shifter rod for actuating said controller, means on said reciprocating member for operating said shifting rod, and means on said shifting rod to limit the length of stroke of said reciprocating member.

5. The combination with a blast furnace and a movable closure therefor, of means for automatically actuating said closure, said means comprising a longitudinally movable screw, means operatively connecting said screw and closure, and an electric motor geared to said screw, an electric controller for reversing the direction of movement of said motor and said screw, and means actuated by said screw for actuating said controller to reverse said motor and screw.

6. In an apparatus of the class described an electric motor, gearing driven thereby, a longitudinally movable screw actuated by said gearing, a housing having bearings and an oil sump formed therein for said gearing, a cross-head secured to one end of said screw and having a connecting eye formed thereon, a cable connected to said eye and adapted to move with said screw, a controller for said motor and a shifter rod actuated by an arm on said cross-head for actuating said controller.

7. In an apparatus of the class described an electric motor, gearing driven thereby, a nut rotated by said gearing, a screw co-acting with said nut and having a cross-head connected to one end thereof and arranged to be reciprocated by said nut, a cable connected to said cross-head and adapted to move therewith, a controller for reversing the direction of rotation of said motor and means actuated by an arm on said croshead for operating said controller at the end of each stroke of said screw.

8. In combination with the charging hopper and bell of a blast furnace, a cable operatively connected to said bell, a screw secured to and adapted to operate said cable, a nut for reciprocating said screw, gearing for rotating said nut, a motor for driving said gearing and means actuated by said screw for reversing the direction of said motor at the end of each stroke.

9. In combination with the charging hopper of a blast furnace, a bell for controlling the discharge from said hopper, a cable operatively connected with said bell, a hoisting mechanism for moving said cable comprising a longitudinally movable member having a cross-head secured thereto, said cable being secured to said cross-head, a guide for said cross-head, gearing for reciprocating said longitudinally movable member, a motor for driving said gearing, a controller for reversing the direction of rotation of said motor and means actuated by said longitudinally movable member for actuating said controller.

10. The combination with a blast furnace charging bell, and a flexible member operatively connected to said bell, of a longitudinally movable screw connected to said flexible member, a rotatable nut on said screw, power means for rotating said nut to reciprocate said screw, and means for automatically reversing said power means to reverse the direction of travel of said screw. 11. The combination with a blast furnace charging bell, and a flexible member operatively connected to said bell, of a longitudinally movable screw connected to said flexible member, a rotatable nut on said screw, power means for turning said nut to reciprocate said screw, a controller for automatically reversing said power means to change the direction of travel of said screw, and means for automatically actuating said controller when said screw has reached a predetermined point in its lengthwise travel.

In witness whereof we have hereunto signed our names.

ROBERT J. HARRY. CHARLES S. PROUDFOOT. 

